Cut down to size by his coach, the biggest Devil is rebuilding his standing and his confidence.

His Stanley Cup-winning goal almost seemed to be working against Mike Rupp in preseason and the early going, but the 6-5 forward has been a major factor in the Devils’ two straight home victories that turned the Red Jersey Jinx into a past curiosity.

Coinciding with the return from surgery of fellow Cup hero Turner Stevenson, Rupp is again rumbling as the Devils take a three-game winning streak into Food Drive Night against the Sharks at the Meadowlands tonight.

Halfway through this four-game homestand, Rupp has scored twice, including the third-period winner against the Flyers, then picked up an assist before driving the net to create room for Jeff Friesen’s third-period GWG against Colorado Saturday.

Pat Burns gave hefty credit to Rupp on Friesen’s goal, just as he had dished out his harshest criticism of one of his own toward the 23-year-old Cleveland native after the exhibition finale, before scratching him for the first two regular-season games. Rupp was the only Devil to play all nine exhibitions, almost as if he was being examined for complacency after he tipped in the Cup-winning opening goal of Game 7 of the Finals. Burns benched Rupp in the second period of the final exhibition, then ripped him afterward.

“Rupp has to understand that if he doesn’t come to play, he’s not going to get a shift,” Burns fumed that night, a month ago yesterday.

“One of the things I’ve been told is that I’m not always giving my all,” said Rupp, who believes his nature may provide that impression. “The way I carry myself, the way I talk, it’s laid-back. My body language is different. I’m lankier. It’s always been different.